With the goals of giving children the best start in life and building a more resilient community, CALM and the Santa Maria Valley YMCA have partnered, with financial support from the Santa Barbara Foundation, to offer Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation at the YMCA’s preschool.
At the YMCA, professional and caring teachers work to create a nurturing learning environment where all participants can thrive.
Through a NAEYC Accredited and Outdoor Classroom Demonstration Site program, the school focuses on preparing children for kindergarten by targeting the key skills needed for early educational success, as well as building strong social skills.
Toward that effort and CALM’s focus on building resilient communities, the YMCA and CALM recognized the benefit that Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMHC) would add to the program.
By putting a CALM mental health consultant at the preschool site, the partners intend to strengthen the capacity of staff, and families to promote positive social and emotional development as well as prevent, identify and reduce the impact of mental health problems among kids and their families.
CALM’s consultant Sarah Valverde, a licensed marriage and family therapist, spends several hours a week in the preschool with the children and teachers.
While she works on feelings identification, coping skills, and social skills with the students, Valverde’s primary focus is helping the teachers build their skill sets to most effectively support the children’s social and emotional development.
Valverde models tools and interventions for teachers, allowing them to practice skills in real time. She also meets weekly with teachers in a group reflective practice to discuss their successes and challenges, and build their confidence and support system.
“The teachers at the YMCA preschool are already such wonderful role models for these children,” Valverde said. “They are compassionate and committed to the success of their kids.
“I’m honored to be able to support them, so they can be strong, confident leaders as they encounter the variety of challenges and stressors that working in a preschool brings.”
CALM and the YMCA hope to expand their partnership beyond the preschool and into the elementary school setting at the YMCA and Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Maria Valley, and afterschool sites in the Santa Maria Bonita School District.
The organizations believe collaboration is key in reaching children and families in need and supporting the Santa Maria Community.
“If these children have this type of support, what could that do for the community? It’s going to make all the difference in the world,” said Shannon Seifert, YMCA CEO.
For more information about CALM’s services, call 805-965-2376 or visit http://calm4kids.org. For more information on YMCA programs, call 805-937-8521 or visit www.smvymca.org.
— Sandra Fuhring for CALM.